The Soul in the Sword
by paris1601
Summary: Kuro has to prove himself to his own sword. May be a KuroFai if you don't blink. Chap 5: How does Fai affect master and sword?
1. The Origins of Souhi

**Challenge Creator: **Chisis

**Challenge Title:** Ghost

**Challenge Summary:** What kind of ghost would haunt a member of the TRC gang for a while? Write about it from the point of view of the ghost.

**Rating:** Up to you to decide

**Genre:** Up to you to decide. Ghosts are a tricky thing, as they can go really sad or really happy

**Characters:** One of the TRC gang. No secondary characters in this one.

**Length:** For once, I'll leave that up to you to decide also. I want to see just how far you can take this challenge.

**The Soul in the Sword**

Red eyes and black hair.

If this man had been female, he would have been her. Souhi smiled. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that this man was her brother. But, whether or not he was her brother wouldn't have been relevant at that point, she decided as she silently drew her swords, he was defending an enemy princess and she was her lord's best stealth assassin. She had to kill him to kill her target and bring her master to power. She had to accomplish the impossible in order to change the world she had come to know into something better. He had a reputation for being the strongest in Japan and if she got killed tonight, she would just be another assassin he had dispatched in defense of his lovely princess and if she succeeded, her master's name would be the one printed in the books, not hers.

Either way, she would be forgotten.

"I know you are Kurogane," she poised herself to defend. "Let me tell you my name."

Kurogane drew his sword and readied himself for attack. "I don't need to know the name of a person unfit to be called a warrior."

They stared each other down for a very short moment. They could see each other's face clearly. Masks were not needed in their profession, there was no need to hide your face when you know you'd either kill the person you are fighting or be killed by them.

In that short time, Souhi managed to assess her situation. She was at a disadvantage. She had a shorter reach, with equally ranged weapons. She was lighter, which probably meant she was faster, but that was her only advantage. She was weaker than him and she was intimidated by him. She knew just by standing in front of him that she was, for the most part, doomed.

_But, this is for my lord. He will bring about a better world. I will not fail him and live to tell about it. _Souhi resolved. The fight didn't last long. She defended herself masterfully and managed to wound Kurogane quite gravely. In one deciding strike, they charged at each other. And for a few seconds after, their bodies, still caught up in the momentum of their attacks stood frozen in a fighting stance. In the end, the greater warrior won. _And perhaps, _Souhi thought as the light from her flaming eyes faded and her legs began to feel numb. _That speaks not only of us shinobi, but also of our masters._

"Your name," Kurogane grunted. He didn't even wince as a large X-mark wound opened on the skin on his chest. He stood his ground not bothering to face his opponent again. He knew the fight was over even before Souhi literally fell.

"It is..." the female ninja gathered her strength for that one last breath. "...Souhi." And then her knees buckled and her eyes closed.

-

Souhi floated over the crimson-stained quarters of the palace she had once called her home. Like the loyal servant that she was, she stayed by her master's side until the day he died. She hovered over the bodies in different stages of dying and various states of dead. It had been a massacre.

The problem with being a ghost was that there was nothing she could do even if she wanted to. She could only appear to people who could see her. If she really wanted to, sometimes, she could move things or touch people. _But not when it really matters_, she thought bitterly as she looked at her lord's bleeding corpse. She cursed her weakness the night she died, but wondered if she would have made a difference had she been alive. A spirit that felt familiar hovered about her. She felt it pull at her being. It was warm and insistent. She resisted and it passed on to the place of souls.

She didn't quite understand why she had stayed behind and abandoned her lord's side. She just suddenly felt drawn to her killer.

At first, she had been depressed, believing that she was simply unworthy of moving on because she was not able to protect her master. She admired Kurogane for his strength and service to the princess. She became an unseen presence observing the warrior as he became stronger. But, while she remained bound to him, the admiration she had for his prowess slowly turned to hatred and disgust towards his bloodlust. He began to kill without remorse. Her sadness began to fade only to be replaced with anger.

When he killed her, it had been about defending his princess, but recently, it was about his strength. She glared at the red-eyed ninja after he had butchered a number of men unnecessarily. "I died in battle by your hand and you honored me, but you killed so many so heartlessly." She watched as Kurogane cleaned his sword with a strange pleasured gleam in his eyes. "You've dishonored us that you have fought with and defeated. Your sword is great, but you are no longer worthy of wielding it."

She cursed him with the worst possible curse that she could think of. "Your sword that you killed me and so many others with...it will betray you."

-

If she had thought that her prayer that Kurogane's sword betray him had been the worst possible, she was changing her mind now. Tomoyo's decision to send Kurogane to another world to learn about true strength was a far more difficult punishment to bear. To be so far away from one's lady unable to protect her had to be the worst possible curse that could be bestowed on a warrior. A smile graced Souhi's soul for the first time in many years.

And then she found herself being sucked into the same vortex Kurogane was disappearing into.

-

Souhi found herself in a place she did not recognize. She briefly wondered if she had unintentionally invaded Kurogane's dreams, but soon realized that this was not any world that the other ninja's mind would come up with. And, since she had traveled all over Japan, she doubted that she was still there. She remembered Princess Tomoyo sending Kurogane to a different world, perhaps her bond to him had taken her there, too. She felt drawn to someone again.

When she followed the path the feeling led her down, she expected to soon see a tall dark man with burning crimson eyes and night-painted hair like hers. This was probably why she was more than a bit surprised when she saw that she was being drawn to shop apparently belonging to a pale young man with very gentle features. He was strong despite his lean built, and his soft brown eyes betrayed an innate kindness that she found strange. She found it a bit unnerving when he seemed to smile at her.

He scared her a bit, but she was bound to him, so she opted to look around instead. It didn't take a genius to judge by the looks of his shop, his clothing, and the instruments he was holding that he was a blacksmith. He was hard at work on something she couldn't quite see from where she was.

She moved closer and saw a long unformed mass of metal. It gave out a beautiful glow as it was fired.

Suddenly, the blacksmith spoke. "I am called the forger of spirits. My name is Shidou Ryuuji. Who are you?"

The ninja was a bit surprised by the question. Was he talking to her? He didn't stop from what he was doing, but he did seem to be waiting for a reply. Did he really see her? She decided to answer anyway. "Souhi," she replied.

"You were drawn to this sword, Souhi," the blacksmith spoke calmly. His voice was incredibly soothing and it floated above the clang of his hammer against steel. "It will be a beautiful sword. Slender and graceful, but powerful and unforgiving..."

It would take Ryuuji days to finish the sword, but judging by the metal and the man's apparent skill, he wasn't lying.

"...Would you let me, Souhi?" Shidou Ryuuji asked, pausing for a moment as he fixed her with a sincere gaze. "Would you let me forge your soul into this sword?"

Souhi stared long and hard at what would later become an excellent blade. She turned back to the blacksmith and nodded. "As long as you create a sword that only a strong fighter could possibly carry."

"Of course," Ryuuji promised. The specter could see that he comprehended her wish. "Just as a great warrior cannot be commanded by a man less great, a magnificent spirit such as yours should not be made to serve a master that is weak or be forged into a blade that is brittle."

It had taken Shidou Ryuuji over a week to perfect the blade. It was long and heavy and difficult to control, but it was a powerful weapon that would not easily break in battle and promised to serve its master for a long time. When the moment arrived for Ryuuji to forge Souhi's name and spirit into the sword, the ninja was more than ready.

"You will be drawn to your new master as you were drawn to me," that was the last thing Shidou Ryuuji said to Souhi the sword before he wrapped her up and sent her to a woman Ryuuji called Yuuko.

-

_**Author's Notes: **Not very good with the introspective type of stories. I'm just testing the waters. If people think it's good, I'll continue, but if it isn't, I suppose I'll end it here. It's supposed to be a response to Chisis' Challenge, so I hope it fit._

_Hope someone liked it._

_- Paris_


	2. Thieves

_Sorry for the unedited chapter. I'm actually supposed to be writing my paper and debugging my program. If it's confusing or has a lot of typos or just plain sucky, feel free to tell me. But if you like it, I'd appreciate it if you reviewed._

**I**

"I think this will be useful in your journey," the dark-haired woman called Yuuko was telling the man projected in front of her. It had to be some form of sorcery. Clearly, this Yuuko was some kind of witch. Souhi didn't need to be a genius to conclude that.

There was a smile on the man's face when he replied. "Big Puppy didn't like the sword I got him in this world. Maybe this new sword will make him happy?"

"I think it will be satisfactory," Yuuko reassured him. "Here."

The black rabbit-thing that had been sitting in front of Yuuko opened its mouth and Souhi felt the feeling she felt when she had been sucked into the vortex Kurogane had disappeared into sometime ago. But, that feeling didn't last very long. The next thing she knew, she was in the hands of the man that the witch had been talking to earlier. He was a comely blond with dazzling blue eyes. Souhi had never encountered a being such as him before. He was very beautiful, so much so that it was unfair that he was a man.

"You know what to do with it, don't you, Fai?" it was Yuuko's voice, still, but this time, it sounded distant. She was now the one being projected by a white rabbit-thing.

Fai was smiling, "Of course, Yuuko-san. And that's all the payment you're asking for that recipe from Tomoyo-hime?"

"Yes."

"Well, we should get ready, then Mokona," Fai was grinning as he turned to look at the darkened sky.

"Sure!" the white bunny thing—which was apparently called a Mokona—said with what looked like a smile. Souhi double-backed and blinked (1). So the strange rabbit thing could talk!

Yuuko smiled in the place she was in. "Very well, then. And don't forget you still owe me. I'll be waiting on White Day."

She wondered what strange world the witch Yuuko had sent her to. There were strange talking animals and pretty men. Surely, this wasn't the world she had originally come from. As she examined her surroundings, she noticed that it didn't even seem to be a place where people did battle.

Souhi found herself trying to get a feel of this person named Fai. It wasn't just the mention of the familiar name that made Souhi interested in this odd person. Somehow, Souhi felt that her destiny was intertwined with this man's. But, she knew by the way she was being held that this one had never held a sword before. This one couldn't be her new master.

Maybe he was a messenger.

She watched as Fai changed his clothes. She noted that the clothing in this world was similar to the clothes of assassins in her world in the sense that the clothes were all black. But Fai's clothes appeared constricting as they hugged his slim frame perfectly. This was opposed to the loose garments of ninja that allowed them to move more freely.

After Fai slipped on a ski cap to cover his blond hair, he picked up a small container from the dresser. "Now, for the finishing touches," he said to Mokona. He opened the container and dipped his thumb into it coating it in some black cosmetic. Fai drew black horizontal streaks on his cheeks, right under his eyes.

"Wow! You really look like a burglar, Fai!"

Burglar! This man Yuuko had given her to was a burglar? A noble sword like her shouldn't be used or even be touched by burglars! It was a disgrace to her blade!

Fai picked up Souhi. "Shall we go?"

"Come on!" Mokona jumped up to land on Fai's head.

Souhi did her best to stop Fai from taking her, but to no avail. Despite how much she weighed her own blade down, she was still a sword and Fai was still a human.

Fai glanced down at the sword Yuuko had just sent her.

"What's wrong, Fai?" Mokona inquired when he saw that the mage was temporarily distracted by something.

"The sword seems a lot heavier now," Fai replied. He then grinned manically as he strapped the sword onto his back. "No wonder Kuro-wanwan is so strong! He's always carrying heavy swords like this!"

It was mortifying for Souhi to realize that there were sword-wielders in this world with such dishonorable names. And what if Fai handed her over to this Kuro-wanwan after defiling her blade with a theft? How humiliating would it be for her to be the sword of someone with such a name? Souhi, the magnificent blade of Kuro-wanwan! _I'll just shatter my blade the moment he uses me. That will be an honorable demise._ Souhi decided as she reluctantly accompanied the thief and the strange rabbit that looked like a rice ball out into the streets.

-

"Well, Mokona," Fai addressed the white rabbit-thing when they arrived at the place which Souhi assumed they would stealing from. "Are you ready?"

"Of course!" Mokona bounced up onto the edge of the roof of what looked like a traditional Japanese house. He left Fai's line of sight and reappeared a few seconds later when he opened the door of the house from the inside.

Souhi felt sick to her spiritual stomach. She couldn't believe she was doing nothing as a robbery of an innocent house was taking place. Again, she did her best to weight down her blade.

"That was fast, Mokona," Fai praised as he shifted the weight of the sword which suddenly seemed even heavier. "Your one hundred and eight secret skills certainly are useful."

"Thank you!" the rice ball chirped as he resituated himself on top of Fai's head. The two thieves silently slipped through the door, which Fai quietly closed behind them.

The innocent house turned out to be a weapons shop. This was somewhat a relief to Souhi. Weapons dealers had to know something about weapons. The people here wouldn't be too helpless if confrontation occurred.

"Now," Fai whispered to Mokona. "Don't make any noise. We don't want to have to fight and hurt people while we're doing this."

"Okay," was whispered back.

Souhi was relieved to find that this thief at least had some compassion in him. A thief with compassion was a lot better than a high ranking ninja who was a merciless killer (2). As they passed the displays of magnificent weapons, the soul in the sword had to begin wondering why Fai and his accomplice weren't taking anything. Were they after one thing in particular?

Fai and Mokona reached a sword rack and stopped in front of it. Perhaps they were only after swords?

"I think this will do," Fai explained to the white rabbit-thing on his head. He unstrapped Souhi's sheath from his back.

This was very confusing to Souhi. Did this man plan on destroying the swords? What was going on?

Her blade was carefully pulled from her sheath as Fai inspected it. "You're very beautiful. I'm sure he will be happy with you." He re-sheathed the sword and gently set it down on the rack. "I'm sorry we have to go through all this. Please be patient, Souhi, your real master will come for you soon." A soft chuckle, "He's just so stubborn that he'd never accept you if I gave you to him right away."

And then Fai and Mokona left the shop, locking up behind them, leaving Souhi alone with her thoughts.

_**Author's Notes:**_

_(1) I picture souls forged into swords to be "bound to the sword" and not necessarily always having to be "in the sword"._

_(2) I've cookies for the person who can guess what high ranking merciless ninja Souhi is thinking about._

_(3) The reason why I made it so that Yuuko is the one providing Kurogane's sword is that I can't get my head around the thought that Kuro didn't lose Souhi after they got out of that virtual world and the feather disappeared. It was mentioned that once the feather's power was gone, its effects would go away, too, but the TRC gang have been traveling for quite some time now and Souhi (and Hien) is still with them. Well, granted, they have the feathers within Sakura with them, but I didn't think that counted since the mayhem feathers cause disappear after the feathers are reincorporated into Sakura's memory._

_I'm thinking too much, aren't I?_

_Well, anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you all liked it._

_-paris_

_**PS.** Special thanks to **Attiquah Gensui**, **ammonia**, and **zephyrlight** for reviewing. You're all always so encouraging. Thank you so much._


	3. Souhi and Hien

**II**

"They left you here, too."

Souhi had just begun assessing her surroundings when she heard the voice speaking to her. She turned, cursing herself for not feeling the other's presence earlier. She had been too engrossed in worrying about what the thief Fai and the talking rice ball Mokona had in store for her and the innocent people who owned the weapon's shop. "Who's there?" she demanded when she saw no one.

"I was brought here by a different person," another female emerged from behind one of the racks. "I've been here for a long time. You're the first spirit I've encountered in this place. My name is Hien."

"You act like it's the strangest thing," Souhi scrutinized Hien as she spoke. She had no intentions of giving her name to someone who had no real business knowing it. "That you did not encounter other spirits before me. We are, after all, intangible."

Souhi noted that Hien was dressed in a strange looking silver armor embedded with numerous seemingly precious stones. The armor looked light, but seemed far too impractical for the battlefield. In Japan, the only time a ninja wore anything so incredibly—to the point of ridiculously—fancy was whenever Princess Tomoyo managed to force Kurogane to play her little design and dress-up games with her. She almost laughed at the memory of the supposedly private moments between ninja and princess she had witnessed when she was bound to Kurogane. But, being a ninja meant being able to suppress expression, so Souhi remained outwardly impassive.

"Spirits are like people to other spirits," Hien explained. "We are tangible and not as fleeting. I've been in this world for a long time and there are no spirits like us."

"World? So you came from some place else?" Souhi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Perhaps the armor was customary for warriors in Hien's world? After all, only great warriors' souls were forged into swords.

Hien nodded. "I came from a place where people use magic to manipulate the elements," she gestured towards the glittering jewel on her chest. "These stones are used to amplify our magic. There doesn't seem to be any magic users in this world, even if that Mokona is a magical being."

"You know what that rice ball is?" Well, there's another surprise.

"It's a Mokona," Hien replied. "A magical being created by magic users. It takes a great deal of magic to create anything that has life of its own, so whoever made that Mokona had to be pretty powerful. The old guru in our world has one, although I have never seen a Mokona that could talk." (1)

"So, where did you come from?" Hien asked Souhi.

-

It seemed that Souhi was meant to meet Hien. The other specter had served under a tragic lord, much like herself. Souhi would have been living Hien's life if she had magic, served under a lord who loved a princess, and had lived in a world that was quickly nearing its apocalypse. They both lived in magnificent male-dominated households with their lords. They were both raised to become the warriors they were when they died. But most importantly, they were both drawn to their lords because of beautiful visions that were doomed from the very beginning.

By the time daylight started streaming into the weapon's shop, the two spirits were already "seated" in one corner of the room sharing of their exploits to each other.

"What do you think your next master would be like?" Hien asked as they watched the shadows of the leaves of the trees outside dancing on the floor. "I was told that I wouldn't choose my master, that I would be drawn to him instead."

"I was told the same thing." Souhi sighed, "After all that has happened to me, I don't really know what to expect anymore." They were quiet for a while. "I may not know who I will end up serving, but I know who I do not want to end up serving."

Hien didn't say anything, but was obviously curious.

"The man who killed me," Souhi declared. "He and people like him are the people I could never accept as a master."

"Do you hold a grudge against him?" Hien asked.

"It's not like that. I died an honorable death thanks to him," the Japanese ninja admitted. "But he is the type of person who kills without remorse and fights only to become stronger. To purposelessly end lives without question or second thought is the worst thing a person could do and a beautifully crafted blade like mine would a lifetime. That would mean a lifetime of unnecessary deaths."

"I understand," Hien answered quietly. "I am just hoping, right now, that whatever mission my master wants to fulfill, I will be able to help him with."

"Hien..."

"My lord when I was still alive," the armored soldier said. "Had an impossible quest. It was something that would be considered selfish by many so few supported him, but despite how history would have written his name, he still sought after it with full determination. I swore to serve him until he reached his goal, but died even before he came close to reaching it."

Souhi saw the pain drawn on the other girl's face. "He never reached his goal, did he?"

"I don't know," Hien began stroking one of the jewels embedded on her armband. "I wasn't around long enough to find out. I know I'll never find out what happened to my lord so to make up for my failure; I swore to myself that I would serve my new master to the end."

"I see," was all Souhi allowed herself to say. She gave Hien a few moments of reverent silence before she spoke again. "I was called Souhi when I was alive. You can call me that, too."

Hien was pleasantly surprised by the sudden, though long overdue introduction. A smile broke out on her face. Then, the two once again sat in silence: Hien, remembering her past, and Souhi wondering about her future.

-

_**Author's Notes:**_

_(1) Can you guess which world Hien came from and which "lord" she served? They're from another CLAMP series._

_(2) I didn't know there were actual CLAMP characters named Souhi and Hien until someone reviewed and said so (Thanks, Duchessa-san!). This Souhi and this Hien are not based on those characters, because I already wrote the first part of the fic when I found out about their existence. Sorry if they happen to be your favorite characters and I butchered them here._

_How will Souhi accept the truth about her new master? The Syaoran-tachi finally make an appearance in the next chapter. **Warning: There will be major spoilers for Outo Country from here on end.**_

_Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated._

_-paris_

_**Replies to Reviews:**_

_**zephyrlight**-san, if you remember in the series, Kurogane and Syaoran didn't choose their swords. The old man at the shop gave Souhi and Hien (respectively) to them without even asking for their names. I wanted to say hitsuzen, but I don't fully understand the concept, so let's just call it fate. Again, thanks so much for the review. I'll do my best to update this (**and** my other fics, if you know what I mean) quicker._

_**Chisis**-san, thanks for the review. I'll send you a different fic for beta-ing, if you don't mind._

_**Alana-StarSugarCat**, Alana-san, thanks for the review. I'm glad you find it cool. Evo-san, thanks, too!_

_**Ametris**-san, I'm happy I was able to exceed your expectations. I hope you liked this update._

_**Attiqah Gensui**­-san, I think I misspelled your name in the last chapter notes. I'm so very sorry about that!_


	4. Changing

**IV**

"What's wrong, Kuro-pipi?" Fai tilted his head inquisitively as he stared at Kurogane over the cup of hot tea he prepared. "Didn't you have fun during your boys' day out?"

"You wouldn't understand," Kurogane muttered as he stared resolutely at the cup in front of him. The thought of the cup having some kind of poison or potion—whichever was worse, he couldn't decide—crossed his mind very briefly the way it did whenever Fai prepared something _especially for Kuro-pipi_.

Fai settled his chin on his hands. "Try me. And even if I don't understand, I know for a fact that unloading your problems on someone who'll listen helps," he smiled encouragingly. "I can be a pretty good listener, you know."

Kurogane grunted. "Sure could've fooled me," he retorted, although it wasn't clear if he was talking about Fai knowing about unloading problems or Fai knowing how to listen. He knew the magician well enough to know that he wasn't going to let off so easily. It was best not to supply the conversation with much talk...or interest, for that matter.

"Is there something wrong with Syaoran-kun?" Fai tried again. He knew how seriously Kurogane took Syaoran's training. Well, in Fai's opinion, there was scant little that Kurogane did not take seriously if he took the magician as seriously as he did.

"The kid's fine. There's a lot he needs to work on," the ninja left his sentence somewhat hanging, which gave away that his concerns were related to the training.

A pale eyebrow rose inquiringly, "Are you having trouble with your swords?" Kurogane bristled. A mental "Bingo" resounded in Fai's head. "What's wrong with them? You chose them, right?"

"Like I said," the ninja made sure his tone was as dismissive as possible. "An idiot like you wouldn't understand." He actually didn't want to explain what was bothering him, because no matter how many times he played the statement 'my sword doesn't like me' and all its other restatements in his head, it still sounded stupid.

Fai kept his gaze fixed and questioning. He wasn't buying the other man's claim.

"Leave me alone, you idiot magician!" Kurogane growled before he took a sip of the tea. "What is this?" he grimaced in a decidedly unappreciative manner.

"It's tea," Fai replied letting the change of topic occur. He wasn't as much of an idiot as he was so often accused to be. He knew when to let a subject matter go. "I wasn't sure what you wanted so I bought a bunch of them for you to try. That one is called Earl Gray."

"I don't like it," Kurogane informed their self-appointed cook.

Fai said nothing about the blunt and almost hurtful comment. He just smiled at the ninja and set aside the rejected cup. "Maybe it's time we checked on the kids. Syaoran is pretty beat up."

Grateful that he was going to be given reprieve from being alone with the overly curious blond, Kurogane agreed and the two went over to Syaoran's room.

-

"_He appears to be somewhat different from what you described,"_ Hien observed as she and Souhi watched Fai and Kurogane watch over the sleeping children and Mokona. _"Perhaps he is a man of the same face and name, but is completely different."_

"_No, it's him," _Souhi shook her head slightly. There was no mistaking the Kurogane that was the strongest warrior in all of Japan and served under Tomoyo-hime.

"_He's changed a lot, then,"_ Hien pointed out.

"_Perhaps he has," _Souhi answered. _"But, the things we have seen are not enough to gauge his character."_

Hien chuckled softly. _"You're rightly named Souhi. You're cold, unforgiving and unwavering, just like ice."_

**-**

It was all too familiar to Kurogane that he was sure it was a dream.

He looked around to find himself back in Tomoyo-hime's court. He was in her throne room, standing beside the princess he had served for most part of his adult life. There was no sign of the journey he was on anywhere. He even had Ginryu.

There was a large gathering of the nobles of the country. The gathering was a feast that honored the birthday of the princess, but more importantly, it was a pledge of allegiance to the young protector of Japan. The entire palace was on high alert. There was little to no doubt that there would be an attack from at least one of the many warlords who wanted to overthrow the throne.

It shouldn't have surprised Kurogane when one of his men stepped out from the shadows and whispered into his ear. "Kuorgane-sama, assassins were spotted on the roof."

Kurogane very nearly jumped out of his skin, though he didn't show it on his face. It was like being asleep, then getting splashed with ice-cold water. But, his poker face was to be admired. His expression remained stern and emotionless as he nodded and proceeded to fade away from the harsh spotlight of being Tomoyo-hime's favorite bodyguard and into the more familiar shadows where he often did his work. The familiar action of running up the small hidden passageways to the roof were all done in autopilot that without even thinking about it, Kurogane found himself outside, on the roof, the courtyard activity floating up to his ears in tinkles and distant laughter. While the mood from below was light and festive, the litter of dead bodies and the patter of retreating ninja that filled the rooftop hardly matched it. With disdain, Tomoyo's bodyguard noted that some of the dead were his comrades.

"Kurogane," the voice that called his name wasn't familiar in the sense that he knew who owned it. The voice was familiar that it brought back memories of battles he had long ago fought. The woman with long black hair and piercing red eyes was not someone he recognized, but she did look like many other assassins he had killed.

Kurogane drew out Ginryu. "You would have done yourself a favor if you'd run off like the rest of your companions."

"That is not how I work," the woman responded coldly. There was no hesitation, no fear in her tone and her gait as she approached the much larger man who would be her opponent.

The male scoffed, "Don't think that just because you are a woman, that I will go easy on you."

"I am not a woman, I am shinobi," the other responded as she reached behind her.

Kurogane liked that answer enough to honor its speaker by waiting for her to draw. And draw her sword, she did. She slowly drew out of her sheath a long sword, which gleamed in the night. The man's red eyes widened in surprise. While the woman was not familiar to him, the sword was something he very much knew. "That is Souhi." His lips curved into a pondering frown as understanding came over him. "You're the noble soul that is attached to the sword," Kurogane deduced.

"Correct," Souhi stepped forward holding the sword that was her namesake in her hand. "As I was and as I am. I was not given a name when I died because those who could have given me that name passed on, as well." She paused and suddenly, Kurogane was sword less and he was no longer on the rooftop, but rather in some strange dark void that he knew was a part of his own subconscious. "You killed them all without mercy and without purpose."

"What do you want?" Kurogane growled, clenching his empty fist. "Do you want me to give you up, to kill myself to make up for my sins?"

Souhi raised an eyebrow, "Even you think that's foolishness." She shook her head. "It's quite simple, Kurogane, I want you to know that I will not serve you until I see that you are different from who you once were."

The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You cannot kill meaninglessly with my blade. I will not allow it," Souhi informed him. She rejoined the sword. "Until you can cut only what needs to be cut, no, until you can judge what needs to be cut, I will not serve you."

"Tomoyo's put a curse on me, you idiot!" Kurogane yelled angrily at the soul as she and the sword faded. "I can't kill! What's the point of all of this?!"

"_Until then, Kuro-wanwan."_

"Oi! I'm not done talking to you! And why the hell are you talking like the damned mage?!"

-

"Oi!" Kurogane growled angrily in his sleep and grabbed the hand that held his shoulder. He threw Fai to the bed and would have probably broken his neck had the smaller man not called out to him loudly.

"Kuro-wanko!"

"Mage?" Kurogane blinked as presence of mind returned to him only to reveal to him that he had Fai pinned down, the blond's face buried into the covers, nearly suffocating. He was tempted to stay like that and do away with the irritation of a man, but controlled his urges and shifted his weight off the body underneath him. "What the hell happened?"

"It's not like Kuro-chu to sleep so deeply that my walking into the room didn't wake him up," Fai pushed himself up, off the bed. He failed miserably as his twisted ankle had been aggravated by the ninja's attack on him. He had been able to walk on it with some amount of pain since the night he had dropped Souhi off into the weapons shop, but now, it couldn't support his weight at all.

Kurogane sighed and lifted the blond off the floor and onto the bed. "Why were you in here in the first place?" he asked rolling up the leg of Fai's pajama pants and unwrapping the bandages to easier assess the damage.

"I heard you growling from my room," Fai winced visibly as strong fingers gently felt for breaks. "I wondered if you were getting attacked."

"You wouldn't have come in here if I was being attacked," Kurogane grunted as he picked himself up from the floor.

Fai grinned widely. "You're right. I know that Kuro-myuu is strong enough to fight off any kiji that might attack," he leaned over to roll down his pant leg. "I thought something might be bothering you. You seemed to be having a nightmare when I came in." Kurogane caught sight of the sword leaning innocently on the wall of the room closest to the bed. The shift in his expression easily got the magician's attention. "Is there something wrong with the sword?"

"I already told you..." Kurogane started to tell Fai off, but seeing the 'try me' look the paler man was giving him, he sighed and said. "Yeah. Souhi has not accepted me as her new master."

-

"_Souhi?"_

Souhi turned from where she had been watching the interaction between Kurogane and Fai. _"How is your master, Hien?"_

Hien, who was in Syaoran's room, smiled fondly as she watched Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona sleeping soundly, _"He's dreaming. He's dreaming of his princess and their life back in Clow Country."_

"_Kurogane worked him quite hard this afternoon," _Souhi commented from where she was. _"But, even you know that he hasn't earned the right to draw you, yet."_

"_He's young and inexperienced,"_ the attached soul in Syaoran's sword answered. She was very much content with the fate that had been dealt her. _"But he is determined in his mission for his princess."_ Hien was happy to serve Syaoran once the boy learned how to use her blade. But, she was not the only one with a new master. _"How is your new lord, Souhi?"_

In Kurogane's room, the ninja had just lifted Fai off the bed and was about to carry the blond to his own room. The raven-haired man was complaining about whatever his ward was twittering amusedly about. _"He's somewhat different,"_ Souhi admitted, albeit reluctantly.


	5. The Fai Effect

**V**

"You really should try it, Kuro-piko."

Souhi winced at the degrading name her lord was being called. It was bad enough that they had yet to accept each other, it didn't help that she felt like she was being insulted whenever the magician called Kurogane some infuriating name. After all, now that they were sword and master, Souhi's name was always connected with the ninja's.

And Souhi did not take to kindly to having the title "Souhi, the noble sword of Kuro-piko/Kuro-pon/Kuro-pyon/Kuro-wanwan/Kuro-myuu". And those were only the ones she had heard that morning.

Thankfully, it didn't look like Kurogane enjoyed the names, either. He glared at the blond who was leaning lazily over the side of the counter opposite himself. "It's all unnecessary sweetness and no taste," he growled. Souhi noted that he resisted adding something to the sentence. She figured that Kurogane wasn't talking simply about the food and judging by the magician's expression, he figured the same as her. "And stop calling me those stupid names." That was added as an afterthought by the irritated ninja.

"And you're all grumpy, Big Puppy."

_Souhi, the noble sword of Big Puppy._

Souhi shuddered while Kurogane visibly bristled.

"_You look unsettled," _Hien commented as Syaoran walked into the room with her blade. In the background, Kurogane yelled at Fai to stop using the stupid name. _"Is there a problem?"_

"_Yes, but it's nothing,"_ the long blade grumped, not willing to admit that something as shallow as a debauchery of her master's name was bothering her. Hien only smiled knowingly.

"Good morning, Kurogane-san, Fai-san," Syaoran greeted the pair who was supposed to be having breakfast. But, Kurogane was refusing to eat the food and Fai probably finished earlier, so they were pretty much just sitting around talking. Syaoran couldn't help but smile at the familiarity of the scene and the easiness in his mood eased Hien's mood, as well.

"Syaoran-dono was a bit tense when he woke up this morning, he was a bit nervous about training with Kurogane-san, again," Hien informed Souhi as Syaoran took a seat beside Kurogane and Fai served the boy his breakfast. "But now, he's just happy and grateful for the peace that's giving him the time to train." "You're well connected with each other," Souhi observed, relaxing a bit as a comfortable lull came over the three men of the Cat's Eyes household. 

"_Not quite, he's still trying to figure things out. We're not even physically in sync, he has yet to get used to my weight," _Hien smiled cheerfully. _"It's just that he's a bit simple and quite easy to understand. Like right now, all he's fidgeting so he's probably trying to ask Kurogane-san if there are things he needs to work on during today's training."_

As if on cue, Syaoran looked up from his plate, an action that got him the attention of both Kurogane and Fai. "Kurogane-san?"

"What is it?" Kurogane stared down at Syaoran.

The boy was a bit intimidated, but he knew that Kurogane was a good person and was very much willing to help him. He reminded himself of these things and proceeded to talk, "Could you tell me what else I need to work on? Before we start training, I mean. Are there things I should focus on?"

"Hyuu!" Fai made a peculiar sound that seemed to grate on Souhi's nerves. "Little Puppy is taking his training so seriously!"

Syaoran immediately blushed at the nickname.

"If you're going to whistle, whistle, damn it!" Kurogane scowled at the blond. Then he returned to his student. "As for you, you already know about your over-reliance on sight. That's enough for now," his harsh wording was not completely reflected in his tone.

Syaoran nodded. Then, "Kurogane-san," he said, his brown eyes gleaming. "And Fai-san, too." The two older men regarded the boy with scrutinizing red and curious blue eyes. The teen stood up from his chair and bowed to the men. "Thank you very much for everything you've done for us. It's an honor to travel with you both."

Souhi's eyes narrowed. Far too nice a guy, but still, there was something off about him. _"Hien, about your master," _she began to ask.

The other soul nodded. _"It is his tragic fate," _Hien replied evasively.

"Well then, before you head out to training, Syaoran-kun, you really should have your breakfast," Fai was saying. He tilted his head to one side, a bright smile lighting up his face. "You have a long day ahead of you, especially with Big Puppy over here as your teacher."

Kurogane nodded in agreement, only to mull the words over enough to find an implied meaning behind them. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I was just saying the Kuro-tan can be very rough," Fai's voice was smooth and teasing and held so much innuendo.

Souhi blushed, realizing the implications. Her master also turned a healthy shade of red and immediately growled an indignant, "What the hell are you implying you idiotic magician?!"

Syaoran, on the other hand, was clueless as he thanked Fai and the gods for his food. Hien, who understood as well as Souhi, just smiled serenely and watched the argument between the adults progress.

"Who in the world gave you the authority on how rough or gentle I can be?" the ninja was demanding as his face contorted to an expression that resembled an angry dog. Now, Souhi understood where the 'Kuro-wanwan' and "Big Puppy" nicknames were coming from.

Fai grinned devilishly immediately making Kurogane wish he hadn't asked. He desperately hoped that the mage with an IQ of 10 would be smart enough not to bring up how he had been "pinned down on the bed by Kuro-chichi" in some twisted narration that would make him look like a blond-magician-molesting-pervert. The Celesian had such a cruel sense of humor that way. Souhi sensed her owner's trepidation and related it with the lazily musing look on Fai's face.

"Well, you have been very rough with me, Kuro-chichi," the tone that Fai used this time was so unmistakably hinting that even Syaoran choked on his French toast and turned an interesting shade of embarrassed red mixed with suffocating blue. Fai whacked the boy on the back, dislodging the offending piece of bread. "Just last night, or was that the other night?"

Hien noticed the other sword's disconcert. _"Souhi?"_

"_Nothing happened!"_ Souhi blurted out.

At the same time, Fai proceeded to say, "You dropped me just because you saw Souma-san. And I was injured, too!" The tone was whiny and triumphant at the same time—a combination that only the many layers of Fai's intonation could pull off. "Why, Kuro-myu, what were you thinking?"

"We should be going now," Kurogane grunted, still blushing. He was glad to see that the boy had already finished his breakfast.

Syaoran felt the urgency in his teacher's voice and downed his orange juice in one quick gulp. Fai-san scared Kurogane-san. Fai-san was definitely scary. Syaoran managed a quick "Gochisousama deshita" before thanking Fai for the food and being toted off by his unsettled teacher. He barely had the sense of mind to grab Hien.

"Kuro-sama is such a pervert," Souhi heard Fai muse as her blade was picked up by the mage. "But, he's a very good man. You two should get along well, Souhi-san."

"_Fai-san,"_ Souhi stared at the blond, confused by the sudden change in character. She saw the intense sadness and guilt in the man's blue eyes. Melancholy was beautiful on this man, but it made Souhi want to protect him.

She briefly wondered if she was feeling her own feelings or if her feelings were a reflection of her master's as she was carried off by Fai who was yelling, "Big Puppy, you forgot something."

"_Wait a minute, a swordsman forgetting his sword?" _a vein in Souhi's ghostly forehead twitched._ "That's unforgivable!"_

_-_

"_There, there, Souhi, isn't it a good thing that Kurogane-san is no longer fixated on fighting?"_ Hien comforted her friend as she tried to stifle her laughter. They were on their way to the training ground Kurogane had chosen. 

Souhi sighed. _"That's no excuse to leave your sword behind." _But, still, she wondered what kind of person and feelings could make a swordsman like Kurogane forget his sword.


End file.
